The Echo Caves (or Awkward Relationship Caverns)
by freifraufischer
Summary: Swan Queen. Short fic. The Neverland Avengers have to return to the Echo Caves after they rescue Henry, but Regina really doesn't want to be there. Assumes an earlier, but not ongoing SQ relationship.


_A/N: Written as a tumblr prompt._

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><p>The echo cave.<p>

"You've got to be joking," Regina looked at the pirate incredulously.

"That's the way it works, my hot headed queen. We each have to share a secret or we'll never get him out."

"Do we really need to get him out? I mean we can find another way off the island."

"Before Pan recovers. You can't want to risk that." Mary Margaret said, glancing at her husband. How many other secrets could they survive she wasn't sure. Their first trip into the echo cave was bad enough. Emma didn't blame her. She still couldn't help but feel her mother's confession about wanting another baby confirmed all her worst fears. She wasn't enough for them.

But she knew she never would be.

"Well, do we really have to all go in? Why can't Emma just go in and rescue her boyfriend on her own."

"Because of you love. That's not how this works. We've all shared something in the cave, if you don't go in this time the cave wont release him." Hook explained.

"Well that's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard." The queen grumbled.

"You have noticed we're on Neverland being stalked by a psychopathic man boy?"

"I think he's technically more of a sociopath." Regina shook her head. "We have to get Henry home."

"So good, sharing time, stage two." Mary Margaret said with a cheerful voice as if she was leading her fourth grade class.

"I can still change my mind about killing you, Snow." Regina said as she followed Emma into the cave. Neal had been captured while they were saving Henry's heart and every one of them knew that they couldn't very well let Rumple out of the box until they rescued him. The Dark One would take them all to pieces if he had to, to get to Bae again.

Regina stood in the back of the group, clearly uncomfortable and Emma had the strange urge to check on her and hold her hand. But her errant thoughts about Regina always seemed to come at the strangest times. Like right when they were about to die.

After the others the bridge out to Neal was almost complete and Emma inhaled. There was probably a reason she hadn't had to share this secret the first time. For one, want Neal dead had been darker, but for a second she hadn't been here...

"I slept with Regina."

The sound of the bridge forming further out was actually drowned out by the sound of her mother going, "You did what?!" She looked accusingly over at Regina. "You ... you used your magic..."

"It happened before the curse... we were kind of... there was a lot of energy between us." Emma shook her head and didn't look at Mary Margaret but just kind of shifted in place.

"Before or after she was framing me for murder? We were living together Emma, how could you not tell me!?"

"You are my mother."

"You didn't know that!"

Snow rounded on Regina with the fury of the self rightious. "And you did! Regina, how could you! She's your..."

Regina's eyes grew dark and warning. "If you bring up my marriage to your father so help me Snow you'll learn what it is like to be a meal to one of your feathered friends."

"Well, if I can interject a bit of understanding, Regina is..."

"Captain, if you say another word I've a very convenient cliff to shove you off of and this one looks much deeper."

He looked like he was about to argue, and Emma really wanted to ask when Regina shoved him off a cliff. Because based on the look on his face she was reasonably sure that had actually happened. But right now she was a bit more concerned about her mother murdering her ex.

"It's alright Mary Margaret."

"It is NOT alright, Emma."

She was watching Regina with rage in her eyes. "Secret time, stepmother."

Emma actually winced. Mary Margaret never use that title for Regina. "Even if it's not alright to you it's alright to me and it's my life." Emma reasserted and that seemed to take some fight out of Snow. "But she's right Regina. It is your turn."

Emma actually said it apologetically because Regina looked increasingly like she's about to crawl out of her skin. And Emma wanted to reach over and slap Mary Margaret for the smug look on her face at whatever wound of Regina's she was going to have to expose herself.

Regina glanced over to Emma and then closed her eyes. "I'm in love with Emma."

No one heard the last of the bridge forming. Or even Neal asking for someone to go out and get him free from the cage. "YOU WHAT!?"

Snow actually launched herself at Regina. Emma would stop her but she was stunned into silence herself looking at the former Evil Queen. Luckily Hook and David got a hold of her before Snow could push her off a cliff. And before there could be a fireball. Except Regina looked like she was going to be sick and a fireball was definitely not on her mind. It didn't make any sense to Emma at all. "But we haven't been together since the curse and there was all that ..." Trying to kill each other and hate each other and steal Henry from each other... "Stuff in between."

"Why do you think all of that hurt so much," Regina said quietly. "I'm not good at processing rejection."

She glanced over at Snow. "And neither is your mother."

Emma wanted to kiss Regina. Really she'd wanted to do that for months, but the murdering and the cursing and the telenovela level of drama prevented that. Which wasn't being helped by the scene now unfolding before her. But she also wanted to crawl under a rock herself. She didn't need anyone in love with her. Not the way Regina loved. With so much passion and focus. That was a high pedestal to fall from. And she always fell.

"We really need to get Neal back to the boat and get the hell off Neverland. I never want to see this place again. We can deal with this when we're back home."

"We will deal with this when we're back home." Mary Margaret promised and Emma got a sickening feeling that was going to be a long boat ride.


End file.
